Setback to Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks as far-right Israeli official visits contested Jerusalem holy site
Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked anger Thursday with another visit to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, threatening to disrupt ongoing discussions about a cease-fire in the devastating war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Ben-Gvir said he went to the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound where the Al-Aqsa Mosque stands to pray for the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza, "but without a reckless deal, without surrendering."
Standing in front of the golden-domed mosque, Ben-Gvir said he was "praying and working hard" to ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't bow to international pressure, including from Israel's most important ally the United States, to agree to a cease-fire in the war that officials in Hamas-run Gaza say has killed more than 38,600 Palestinians.
Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa compound, referred to as the Temple Mount by Jews, previously in May — an act of protest as various nations unilaterally recognized a state of Palestine. The U.S. government called that visit "unacceptable," warning against "any unilateral actions that undercut the historic status quo."
That status quo is laid out under an agreement that sees the holy site administered by Jordan and an Islamic endowment called the Waqf. Under that long-standing agreement, Muslims are allowed to pray at the site, but Jews and Christians are not. Ben-Gvir has long decried that arrangement as discriminatory and called for greater Jewish access.
Prior to his membership in Netanyahu's Cabinet, the far-right nationalist was convicted eight times on criminal charges, including racism and supporting a terrorist organization. As a teen he espoused views considered so extreme that he was banned from serving his compulsory military service.
As a key member of Netanyahu's fragile coalition government, Ben-Gvir has the power, and has threatened to use it, to deprive Netanyahu of his current parliamentary majority, which could lead to early national elections that polls show the prime minister is unlikely to win.
His second provocative visit to Al-Aqsa came as Israeli strikes across central and northern Gaza reportedly killed at least 13 more people, amid fierce fighting across the decimated Palestinian territory.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had killed two senior commanders of the Hamas-allied Islamic Jihad group in airstrikes — one of whom it said had taken part in the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw the militants seize about 240 others as hostages. It was that attack that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
A report published Wednesday by the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch organization accuses Hamas and its allies of committing numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity during its terrorist attacks. The report makes it clear that the attack was deliberately planned to kill civilians and take hostages.
It provides a detailed list of alleged war crimes by Hamas that include the willful killing and kidnapping of civilians, the use of human shields and sexual and gender-based violence including forced nudity and posting sexualized images on social media. The organization said it was unable, however, to gather verifiable evidence of rape — noting that this does not mean it did not occur.
HRW told CBS News that due to lack of access, it had been unable to compile a comprehensive report on Israel's conduct in Gaza. It said evidence had been found of Israel committing war crimes, including denying humanitarian aid, using starvation as a weapon of war, targeting aid workers and unlawful airstrikes.
The report came as Netanyahu faces huge pressure at home to reach a deal to get the remaining hostages — about 80 of whom are still believed to be alive — back home from Gaza. He was jeered in the Israeli Parliament on Thursday by opposition politicians for his failure to clinch an agreement.
Netanyahu has consistently blamed Hamas for the impasse, accusing the group last week of "clinging to demands that endanger Israel's security."
The Israeli leader is expected to visit Washington next week, where he will address the U.S. Congress. His critics say it's a waste of time unless he's able to announce an agreement to secure the release of the Israelis who have now been held in Gaza for almost 300 days.